food truck food and team Edward

that there is the best of San Francisco's whole Off the Grid regime-- a Fryin' Maiden fried chicken sandwich from the eclectic and punching food truck Brass Knuckle with a menu giving homage to the greatest musicians.

now that's a prime example of character-- yes even in the culinary business! not just the business itself that has their twist, too. i wonder how people come up with the Prawns and Roses, Lamb Halen, and Notorious P.IG. recipes. what aeoli or cheese and waffle bun makes the chefs think of certain rock stars? what exactly gives each sandwich character??

this is disregarding sandwiches but embellishes on the notion of character-development, particularly in writing. the other day in my conference over my senior seminar piece, i was given a great advice* for making sure characters are defined, polished, and kick ass. since my piece is full-on character driven with switching narratives, it's tricky to make sure one character doesn't outshine the other (which actually, yes, is being the trouble with my novel in the beginning pages).

so here it is, what you can do and should do! in order to avoid loose ties in the story and horrific one-sided infatuations à laTeam Edward Team Jacob: interview your characters, each and every one. use the same 20 or so questions and soon enough, you can see the characters talk for themselves. it won't be a matter of you voicing them-- just listen to your gut and think practically and mindfully about what you're sure your character would say or act about something. this isn't your interview, it's theirs.

* this is the beginning to my new section, writer to writer, where i shall collect and share great advice for anyone else trying their hand at making a written mess!